August BSIG

[Sureshks]

Hello everyone!

This month's BSIG will be a trip to Metcalf this Friday night Aug. 12th to view the Perseid meteor shower!!

Come out around 11:00pm. We will view various deep sky objects through large telescopes (galaxies, open/globlular star clusters, supernova remnants, emission/planetary nebulae), comets and planets (Mars, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune).

The 72% lit Moon will set at 1:02am. As it is going down in the west, Perseus will be rising in the northeast... and our night of meteor watching will begin!

There are predictions that this year's Perseid meteor shower will be better the usual 60-80 meteors per hour, with perhaps rates of up to 200 meteors per hour around peak night (Aug. 11/12). The source for the Perseids is Comet Swift-Tuttle, which last swept through the inner solar system in 1992. The debris from that comet is still orbiting the Sun, and the expectation is that we may hit a thicker than usual section this year.

Here's a handy guide to this year's shower: http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essential ... eor-shower

Please bring a lawn chair, blanket, warm clothing/hat/gloves and a snack/warm beverage. Binoculars are also handy if you have them. As of now, the temperature is expected to drop to 59F that evening.

If you have a telescope, bring it along! We can help you with any questions you may have on how to set it up and use it.

Directions to Metcalf:

See this Google Maps link for directions to Metcalf from the West metro: https://goo.gl/maps/hbw2dbQyUgq

Here are the directions from the MAS website: Head east from St. Paul along Hwy. 94. About four miles east of the I-694 / I-494 crossing is Minnesota State Highway 95, also known as Manning Avenue (exit 253). Turn south (right turn) and then almost immediately turn left onto the frontage road (Hudson Road S). Continue east on the frontage road for about one and one-half miles. Turn right onto Indian Trail, checking the odometer as you turn. Follow Indian Trail south for just about one and one-tenth miles, where you’ll see an unmarked chain-link gate on the right (west side of the road), opening onto a dirt driveway with slight up-slope. This is the the entrance to Metcalf.

See this map of the area.

Directions to Metcalf Field from Hopkins.docx

The Metcalf observing site is located 14 miles east of downtown St. Paul (Latitude: 44.93734 / Longitude: -92.82157 / Altitude: 890).

Please e-mail me at sureshks1@msn.com to let me know that you are planning to attend so I can keep an eye out for you. If Friday night is clouded out, we will host another session at Metcalf starting at 11:00pm on Saturday night.

If Friday night will be too cloudy, I will post the cancellation here during the early evening on Friday.

If you are on your way, please call or text me (612-910-0444) if you are having trouble finding the entrance gate to Metcalf.

We hope to see you this Friday!!

Suresh Sreenivasan
MAS BSIG Coordinator
E-mail: sureshks1@msn.com
Cell: 612-910-0444

[skyguydrew]

All participants in the upcoming BSIG event August 12:
The newly cleared area of the Metcalf observing field has been roped off. It may be walked on and used for observing such as from blankets, chaise lounges, etc, but Belwin staff has asked us to not yet set up telescopes in the area or park vehicles in that area. If there are any questions, please give me a call at 651-279-3262.

Clear Skies,
Andy

[O. Lookit]

Hi Suresh,

Just a heads up: In that Metcalf has been closed for some time, there's probably a bit of pent up demand which may come together simultaneous with your beginners' group meetup at Metcalf (whether it's to-nite (Friday night) or tomorrow night). I say that because Metcalf is always open to all sky enthusiasts...including non members. And it's these non members who might also choose to arrive ahead of your group. And some of these folks could bring telescopes. So it would be good for you to arrive well ahead of the 11:00 pm scheduled time to peruse the area for a good separate area for your own group (to sort of 'stake out' - if that's important) and alerting any already there of your group's arrival.

Also check the roadside parking area in front. In appearance, it's wide open as Century Link has cleared a wide swath of buckthorn for some cable trenching to be done. But some of those buckthorn stubs could be a bit nasty to walk on / park on.

Tom

[Sureshks]

Hello everyone,

Sadly, with this unexpected rain this afternoon and evening I've made the call to reschedule tonight's Perseid meteor watch party to Saturday night, back at Metcalf.

Even if the skies do clear up tonight, the thought of people trying to sit on wet grass trying to watch for meteors, and the high dew messing with telescope optics would make the evening less enjoyable for everybody.

Besides, the weather forecast looks great for tomorrow night. So let's plan on meeting up at Metcalf around 10:30pm Saturday night. We'll take in some deep sky and planetary views through the telescopes to start the night off.

The Moon doesn't set till 1:43am Sunday morning. But that still gives a few hours of Moonless meteor watching time for us diehards...

Please e-mail me (sureshks1@msn.com) or text me (612-910-0444) if you can make it on Saturday night.

Thank you!

Suresh

[Steve Baranski]

Here is a timelapse from Saturday night at Metcalf for the August BSIG / Persied meteor shower :

https://www.facebook.com/MinnesotaAstro ... 6261689721

or , on Youtube at

https://youtu.be/uHdc4KAg6Fw

Thanks,

Steve

[tugger]

Thanks to Suresh for putting this together! It was a good time despite only a few good meteors, at least when I was there.

Here is a timelapse from Saturday night at Metcalf for the August BSIG / Persied meteor shower :

https://www.facebook.com/MinnesotaAstro ... 6261689721

or , on Youtube at

https://youtu.be/uHdc4KAg6Fw

Thanks,

Steve

And this is why I want to do imaging now!